Goodbye Starbucks...

Alright everyone, this is gonna be a bit of a long post, so bear with me please! :) Here we go...  

      Apparently, Starbucks wants to "embrace diversities of all kinds." Just not the kind of diversity that believes marriage should be between a man and a woman. When confronted about the drop in stocks, CEO Howard Schultz responded that, if the man didn't like the results, he could sell his stocks and invest in another business.

     I wonder what would happen to Starbucks if all of their Christian/Conservative costumers stopped buying from them? I know personally several Christians who work there, and many more who enjoy their coffee. I even used to have Bible studies at Starbucks! I wonder how many employees they would lose?..

Now a bit deeper into the homosexuality part...

       The thing that bothers me the most is that so many people think that just because we don't agree with homosexuality, we're "homophobic." I'm pretty sure that's not even a real fear. I'm not afraid of homosexuals, or paranoid, or disgusted. I'm not saying there aren't people who are, but just because I'm a Christian doesn't mean I hate gay people. I love them. I just don't love the fact that they're living in sin. Just the way God loves them, not the way they're living. (Leviticus 18:22) People think we're hypocrites because we talk about loving everyone, and then tell homosexuals that what they do is wrong. But the real hypocrites are those who go to church, know what the Bible says about homosexuality, and then go out and tell everyone that it's ok and God loves them no matter what they do. Those are the people who don't really care, because they're lying to you. (Romans 1:32) Just because we try to talk to people about it, and share that it's not the right thing to be doing, doesn't mean we hate them or that we're afraid of them. It shows that we love them and that we want them to see the truth. (Matthew 19:4-6)

    We all live in sin, but we can't just say "oh, God loves me anyways, so I can keep doing this and that." That's not the way it works. We need to repent, ask forgiveness, and ask for His help to change and get through the sin we're struggling with. Telling others that they can keep living in their sin isn't showing Christ's love, it's pacifying them and tickling their ears with what they want to hear. 

And, back to Starbucks..

Just a few of my thoughts on the matter. Below is a link to the article that talks about Starbucks and their CEO incase you want to check it out! I think we should spread the word to our friends who haven't heard about this yet. I understand that we can't boycott every company that agrees with homosexuality, but I think this is one that really needs to be heard about. You know, since it's not being blasted all over the media like Chick-Fil-A was. *exasperated tone* But that's an entire new rant in itself.. ;P

http://www.examiner.com/article/starbucks-ceo-no-tolerance-for-traditional-marriage-supporters

Quotes and Thoughts

Here's a quote from the first week of Bible study and some thoughts to follow.

Three types of Christians:

The caster oil type: "It's bitter, but it's good for what ails you."
The shredded wheat type: "It's dry, but nourishing."
The strawberries and cream type: "They can't get enough of it!"

Now, I'll be honest.. When I first read this I was pretty convicted! Because (again, being honest) I'm not in the Word all the time, I haven't gotten to the place where I find great joy in reading my Bible.. It really gave me something to think about. Thinking about where I am, and where I want to be and knowing those places aren't the same. What kind of Christian are you? What kind of Christian do you want to be?

The study also said this,

We should grab for the Word like a baby grabs for a bottle. We need to crave the Word of God. We develop that kind of taste for the Bible by spending time in it.

That is such a wonderful analogy taken straight out of the Bible(found in 1 Peter 2:2)!
Now not only have I figured out that I'm not the type of Christian I want to be, but I also know how to fix it! And you do too. Take these things into consideration and really think for yourself about where you are and want to be. If you're not where you want to be, strive to get there.

- Quotes from Howard Hendricks. -

Knowing what the Bible really says

After realizing we needed something deeper and more substantial than what we were getting at our youth group (which is based more for newer Christians) a friend and I started a Bible study. We found someone to lead it and it was a go! We invited a few select friends who we knew would really get a lot out of it but we didn't open it up to everyone because we feared it would become a place to hangout rather than a time to study the Word of God. We all wanted to be able to read the Bible and actually understand it and also wanted to grow our relationships with God. So we started this Bible study; it's been 3 weeks now and it's going GREAT!
Being able to discover what the Bible says for myself and being able to think for myself about things is so fascinating! Being able to feed myself spiritually rather than just being fed on Sundays. Before I was assuming what I'm taught in church is truth but now being able to go look in the Word  of God and see for myself, making sure what the Preacher/Pastor is teaching is truth and biblically based. Just like the Bible says in Acts 17:11  "And the people of Berea were more open-minded than those in Thessalonica, and they listened eagerly to Paul's message. They searched the Scriptures day after day to see if Paul and Silas were teaching truth." So great to see what the Bible says in comparison to what I hear from others. Believing what I believe because I know it's in the Bible is much more reassuring than believing what I believe because I heard my pastor or youth pastor say it.
Are you believing things because that's what you were taught by leaders in your church? Or are you believing them because you know that's what the Bible says?